The situation that the political parties are in that will be participating in the elections is not an enviable one. Of course, the most difficult times await the My Step alliance because it’s estimated that 70 to 80 percent of the votes will go to them. Since everything in Armenia is individualized, only one person will be blamed for all negative phenomena: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
I remember when I was on the bus in the spring of 1992 going from Ajapnyak to Kentron, one of the passengers angrily called out, “Oh, Levon, what are you doing to the people? Haven’t the people gone through enough?”
Now, tectonic movements have not taken place in the eyes of society. People, I meet on the streets ask, “So Nikol was supposed to fix this country?” It’s useless to argue with people and to show them that the one who is to fix or destroy this country isn’t Levon or Nikol, or any individual for that matter. We all are responsible for our (our, not “this”) country.
I should also mention that, unlike Russia, the “great king, bad barons” mindset doesn’t work in Armenia. That explanation is dismantled by the “then why were they nominated?” argument.
The situation of the political parties fighting for the second and third place isn’t an enviable one either. If they try to speak against Nikol Pashinyan on any subject, then it’s very possible that they will be labeled “anti-revolutionary,” “dark,” “revanchists,” “thieves,” “Kocharyan’s and Serzh’s slave,” and other names, which will make the party’s chance of winning almost zero. But if these political parties announce that the policies used over the past six months were flawless, and they have no similar essential ideals with My Step, then the voter can ask the logical question of, “Why should I vote for you and not My Step?” This means that, in order to get the people’s vote, even tougher rhetoric needs to be used, but not about the current authorities, but instead the previous ones. Visions of the future, political, or economic changes, as far as I understood, don’t interest our voters. But that’s not only a characteristic of voters in Armenia.
Prosperous Armenia will be in a unique situation where Gagik Tsarukyan will present his business projects as projects for the party. Business and politics are not separate in Armenia now.
Aram Abrahamyan
